1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to a process for applying an edgeband to a planar edge of a structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Edgebanding is a process whereby a strip of material, or edgeband, is applied to cover the side edge of a flat panel. This can be done to cover exposed laminations, to create a more substantial panel appearance by attaching a thick edge, or to decorate the edge with a more finished or contrasting appearance. The edgebands can be of a variety of materials including wood, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylic, laminates, etc.
It has been known to use hot melt adhesives in automated edgebanding for a significant decrease in fabrication time. By "hot melt adhesive" is meant an adhesive that is applied in the molten state and forms a bond upon cooling to a solid state. Such adhesives are characterized in that they can be melted and remelted numerous times. These adhesives are typically based on ethylene vinyl acetate. However, such hot melt adhesives generally do not provide an acceptable bond with non-porous surfaces. In addition, materials such as Corian.RTM. solid surface with significant thermal mass tend to extract heat from the hot melt adhesive adhesive line and effectively raise the viscosity of the adhesive. This can produce an edgeband seam that is both functionally and aesthetically unsatisfactory.